Management of sternal dislocation with and without surgery in cats: Owner-assessed long-term follow-up of two clinical cases

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to report two cases of sternal dislocation (SD) in cats and the long-term outcomes with and without surgery. In a cat with poly-traumatized SD (Case 1), mandibular, radial, and ulnar fractures were corrected first, and the SD was allowed to heal without intervention for 14 months. However, normal healing did not occur and sternal instability remained. Therefore, the SD was corrected surgically, and the cat recovered fully within 4 weeks. In a cat with isolated SD (Case 2), surgery was performed, and normal posture and gait were regained after 5 weeks. Furthermore, in both cases, no postoperative complications were observed during follow-up. Therefore, surgical correction of SD in cats is recommended.